Former President Urges Yes Vote in Gay-Marriage Referendum

Ireland’s former president Mary McAleese has called for people to vote in favor of making same-sex marriage available in the country when the polls open in a referendum on the Friday, May 22.

“A yes vote [for same-sex marriage] costs the rest of us nothing. A no vote costs our gay children everything,” McAleese said in an address in Dublin on Tuesday.

McAleese, whose son is gay, served as Ireland’s president from 1997 to 2011. The presidency is largely a ceremonial role in Ireland. Credit: YouTube/BeLonG To Youth Services